Coach Collin - Breaking Down KB Deadlift

This is a common exercise to train a specific lower body pulling motion and one that integrates many areas of your body simultaneously. This complimentary exercise taps primarily into the posterior chain complex (glute max, glute med, hamstrings, and erector spinae) while stimulating your adductor muscles (inner thigh) and finishing with a quadricep push at the top of the rep. Starting in a wide foot position, you are going to point your toes out to approximately a 45-degree angle, and as you pull through the motion, the knees need to track over the toes. This will avoid extra tension running through the medial knee and keep the knees positioned at a stable point throughout the movement. Weight is kept in the heel of your foot, and the pulling motion is like traditional deadlifting, where the pulling force stems through the hamstrings/glutes. Keeping arms straight and tension through the back and maintaining an upright position is crucial to maximizing effectiveness and safety through the lift.

If the movement proves to be difficult in the beginning, there are many smaller portions of the

overall exercise, which can be looked at in detail to get you to be able to complete the motion in

the correct fashion.

Examples:

1. Low back strength/mobility – being able to maintain an upright position

2. Glute medius activation – stabilization of the legs in a wide stance

3. Adductor mobility/strength – dropping the weight all the way to the floor

4. Hip/knee range of motion – grabbing the kettlebell from the starting position, dropping

low enough to put all weight in the legs, staying away from a compromised low back